First (Wrong) Impressions: A Modern Pride & Prejudice (21 page)

She grinned. “And you, Elizabeth Bennet. Once I find a suitable restaurant, I’ll send you the location. Do you need it in walking distance?”

“Yes, please. Melissa drove me here.”

“Then I’ll make sure Mr. Darcy arranges transportation for you afterward.”

Lizzy leaned forward. “Um, can you make sure it isn’t a…too expensive a restaurant? I work non-profit.”

“Elizabeth, I would not send you to lunch with our CEO and expect you to pay.”

“Right,” Lizzy said and got the distinct feeling she’d just been set up on a date. “Right. Business lunch.”

“Business lunch.” Fanny smiled sweetly. “And maybe coffee afterwards. With sugar.”

Chapter 25

Lizzy blew out a breath. She’d been sitting at the pub for ten minutes, waiting for Darcy and there’d been no sign of him. She’d declined ordering any food, even though she was famished, thinking she’d wait. But as Lizzy watched the waiters bring out orders, she realized she really, really wanted something to eat.

@LizzyB1: Starving. I may chew off my arm.

@luke_char: Eat something? @LizzyB1

@LizzyB1: Waiting for my lunch—

Wait, what was Darcy? Was he a lunch date? Was he a lunch partner? Lunch spouse? Lunch lover? What was the name for a man who said he loved you and you screamed at him and then he poured out his feelings and history to you in a letter and then you hadn’t seen him again for months?

@LizzyB1: Waiting for my lunch date. @luke_char

Really, everyone used that term. She’d used it to describe her sister, for Pete’s sake and she certainly wasn’t dating her sister.

Her phone buzz. Text message:

Luke: Date? Seriously? With who?

Sigh. Okay, maybe not.

Lizzy: Not that kind of date. Just…lunch company.

A tweet came in. This time from…Fanny?

@FranPri1: @LizzyB1 He left five minutes ago. Please order yourself an appetizer.

Then, a message popped up on her screen:
@FranPri1is now following you.

Wow. Darcy’s executive assistant was now following her on Twitter. Lizzy realized Darcy would have been in meetings all day and probably hadn’t eaten, either.

@LizzyB1: Thx @FranFri1. Should I order him something?

Her message notification beeped. Good Lord; is this what Lydia felt like all of the time? It was exhausting.

Luke: Who is Fanny and who is “he”? Lunch company my ass. Elizabeth Bennet, I want details.

Oh, for pity’s sake!

Lizzy: Fanny = Darcy’s assistant. Darcy = Lunch date. Lunch date = very, very long story. Chat later.

She pulled out the menu and her phone beeped yet again.

@FranPri1: @LizzyB1 The artichoke dip with veggie platter, please. Thx E!

Well, artichoke dip it was, then. Lizzy called over the waitress and ordered the dip with extra veggies, plus a club soda with a slice of lime.

Ten minutes later, the food and Darcy arrived. She saw him enter the pub before he saw her. He was red-faced and rumpled when he walked in, as if he’d been rushing through the pedways to get to her faster. He smoothed down his suit, buttoned up the jacket, and asked the front waiter something. Lizzy stood and waved at him. He caught her eye and headed over.

His smile was genuine, and Lizzy couldn’t help but smile back. He didn’t need to show her any attention, especially after the disaster today, but here he was, treating her to lunch.

“I apologize for being late,” he said breathlessly. He
had
rushed. “I tried to leave as soon as I could.”

“It’s fine. You must be a very busy man. Fanny told me to go ahead and order, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Thank you. And, yes, I am a busy man. But I can make time for ‘somewhat acquaintances’.” He looked up at Lizzy and his eyes said he was trying very, very hard not to undress her.

Now that they weren’t fighting, Lizzy realized how handsome he was. He’d let his hair grow out a little, so the severe crop was relaxed. HIs business wear somehow didn’t make him look unapproachable; it made him look respectable, perhaps even trustworthy.

He looked like the kind of man she’d look over her shoulder at for a second glance.

“Darcy, I just want to say how sorry I am for this morning. I had no idea the company was yours. I asked the receptionist if you were in the office and she said you weren’t.”

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t supposed to be, but Fanny saw the schedule and thought I’d like to come to the meeting with Melissa Gardiner.” His mouth quirked. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

Heat rose in Lizzy’s cheeks. “I wasn’t planning to let you see quite that much of me.”

It was Darcy’s turn to turn red.

“Are you blushing again?” She leaned forward and a wide grin spread across her face. “You are!”

“It’s hard to look at you without…picturing it.” He chuckled. “I tried not to look, honest. It was just…there. And bright.”

Lizzy threw her head back and laughed. “At least I wore the nicest bra I own. If I’m going to flash potential donors, I’m going to do it in style.”

Darcy laughed. Lizzy realized she’d never heard him laugh before.

They slipped into an awkward silence. Lizzy tried to think of something to say, but every topic seemed off limits. She didn’t want to talk about Jane and Charles, she didn’t want to talk about the disaster of the meeting, and she certainly didn’t want to talk about The Letter.

It was Darcy who broke the silence. “How’s the partnership going? I heard about it in a roundabout way through Aunt Catherine.” At her surprised expression, he explained, “Luke told Liam, Liam told her…”

“It’s been an adventure.” Lizzy forced a smile.

“How bad was the fallout? Because of the Luke thing, I mean.”

Lizzy considered not telling him, but dismissed the thought. He wasn’t asking just to be a jerk, she was sure of it. He was just making conversation. “When I showed up yesterday, I was short nearly two hundred grand.”

Darcy froze. “What happened? I mean, beyond the fight?”

“That was pretty much it, really.”

“You lost that much money by outing Luke? Seriously?”

“Well,” Lizzy hedged, “it was more than that, but it all relates to that event. A lot of the donors didn’t like how I ran things street-level and I started making less and less concessions.” She trailed her celery stick in the spoonful of dip on her plate. “For many of the churches, it was the last straw. They couldn’t work with me anymore.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Several of my donors increased their donations, to help out. But I’ve basically been running off what’s in the bank account and it’s falling fast. I offered to stop taking a salary, but Melissa said no.”

“May I ask a personal question?”

Lizzy flashed him a wicked smile. “I already showed you my boobs.”

His blush returned. “It might be even more personal than that. How much do you make at The Faith?”

“Why?” She shot back, and realizing she’d attacked, added, “I mean, why does it matter?”

“Right now, you’re an executive member. In the corporate world, you’d be making six figures. In small non-profit, I’d guess sixty or seventy thousand would be in line.” He eyed her. “And I don’t think you’re being paid that.”

“Twenty-five.”

Darcy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Then he managed, “That’s all? I’ve seen how hard you work.”

“When there isn’t money, there isn’t money.”

Darcy shook his head. “There isn’t another person on earth like you. I don’t know anyone who would go through all of this to fix a mistake that, in the light of day, wasn’t their fault.”

“I managed the whole thing badly, Darcy.”

“Maybe, but I’d argue that refusing to fire someone for being gay was the only appropriate response.” He paused and added, “Though, perhaps the swearing and screaming could have been avoided.”

“I’ll know for next time.”

They ordered and settled into awkward chat about her fundraising attempts. After the third failed attempt at a new topic, Lizzy was saved by Darcy’s cell phone.

“Do you mind? I have to take this.”

She motioned for him to answer.

“Hi, what’s up? I’m on a lunch…um, I’m at lunch.”

Lizzy turned her head away so he couldn’t see her grin. She wasn’t the only one struggling to find the word for what they were. She pulled out her cell to find eight text messages.

Luke: How’s lunch?

Luke: Seriously, how’s it going?

Luke: tap tap tap

Luke: LIZZY WHAT IS HAPPENING TELL ME NOW

Luke: Ok, clearly you’re doing him on the table right now since you aren’t answering my messages.

Luke: Well….??

Luke: Lizzy, pick up your damn phone and answer me.

Luke: WTF!! Why aren’t you answering me??

She rolled her eyes and texted:

Lizzy: Can’t talk. Having sex on a table w/ a millionaire.

Her phone beeped before she could put it down.

Luke: That’s my girl.

Darcy flicked his gaze up as he spoke into his phone “Yes, I will ask. No. No. G, please. If you’re going to…that’s not…I never said…Fine. You ask her.” He handed it to Lizzy. “It’s for you.”

Lizzy took it. “Hello?”

A cheerfully sweet voice on the other end said, “Hi, Elizabeth. This is Georgiana Darcy.”

“Hi.” She looked at Darcy who rolled his eyes, smiling. Oh God. She was speaking to G’Anna, pop star. Her palms went instantly clammy. “What can I do for you?”

“Do you have plans for supper?”

“Not really, no. I was going to head back to the house. Why?”

“Would you like to come over for supper? I’d love to meet you.”

Lizzy looked at Darcy, but couldn’t tell if he was a willing party or not. She was itching to meet the famous G’Anna Darcy, but not at the expense of intruding. “Well, I’m…I don’t want to impose.”

Georgiana sighed and Lizzy recognized the younger sister sound of disapproval anywhere. “My girlfriend has been plotting and scheming for a way to meet you. If you don’t come over, she might take up stalking.”

Lizzy snorted and gave Darcy an awkward grin. “Then I better come over. I’m relying on public transit and I don’t know the routes very well. You might need to tell me how to get there.”

Georgiana gave another signature younger sister sound. “William can give you a ride.”

“I don’t want to inconvenience him.”

“Lizzy, he’s sitting across from you.”

Lizzy wanted to smack her own forehead. “Right. Sorry.”

“All right, then! I’m looking forward to meeting you.”

“Same. Here’s your brother.”

Darcy took the phone and didn’t speak when he put it to his ear. She could hear Georgiana chatter on for several seconds before he said, “G, I’m hanging up now.”

And he ended the call.

Lizzy laughed. “All younger sisters are the same.”

“Mine tries to run my life.”

“Lydia’s much the same. Luke complains about his little sister all the time, too.”

Darcy was quiet for a moment. “I adore G, but there are days…With our parents gone…” He struggled, and Lizzy gave him a supportive smile. “I’ve raised her. I’ve been a big brother, mother, father, all of it. Now that she’s older, she realizes what I gave up to look after her and she’s trying to reverse the roles and look after me.”

“Maybe you could use some looking after,” Lizzy said in a far sultrier voice than she’d intended. Or realized she could even manage.

Darcy’s stunned expression told her he was as surprised as she was. He stammered, “That’s what I have Fanny for.”

“Oh. Right.” Lizzy felt crestfallen. Wait, why did
that
deflate her? Fanny was an employee.

Right, because rich men never sleep with their employees.

Wait, why did she care if Darcy was sleeping with Fanny?

“Fanny Price is the reason I’ve become the success I have. She remembers
everything.
” His expression turned rueful. “Even when I’d like her to forget.”

Lizzy struggled not to sound disappointed. Yes, Darcy had confessed his love to her, but she doubted it had been more than just an infatuation. Add to that the horrible, hateful things she’d said, and she was sure he’d moved her back into friend category. “She sounds like a special person.”

“It’s too bad my sister can’t marry her off. She thought Fitzy and Fanny would make a good pair, but Fanny would have nothing to do with it. I think she has her eye on a family friend or someone like that,” Darcy added, far quicker than Lizzy thought was necessary. “Poor G. Now that she’s found someone, she’s trying to marry everyone off.”

“She’d get along great with my mother.”

Darcy froze. “Good God, you’re right.”

****

Lizzy would never have admitted it, but she was nervous about meeting Georgiana Darcy. At first she dismissed it as famous-person-meeting nerves. Logic killed that when she recalled meeting all of the Edmonton Oilers, who volunteered one night. Then, she decided it was just a symptom of being a foot away from Darcy as they drove in relative silence. She knew it was more than that, as they drew closer to their destination.

“Thank you for coming to dinner,” Darcy said as they pulled into the parking garage. “I know you’re tired.”

“Honestly, it’s fine,” Lizzy said truthfully. “I really am excited to meet Georgiana. She’s clearly important to you.” She stopped herself before she said something embarrassing.

“She is my world,” he said quietly.

Lizzy looked at him. He was nervous, too. He needed his sister’s approval. If Georgiana Darcy disapproved of her, maybe he’d toss Lizzy out of his life without a second thought. His sister was his only immediate family; he’d clearly do anything for her.

Lizzy realized she wanted to gain Georgiana’s approval. Not because she was rich or famous, but because she was the most important thing to William Darcy. Somehow, the idea of either Darcy or Georgiana thinking badly of her scared her. What. The. Hell.

“Is everything all right? You’re rather quiet all of a sudden.”

Lizzy struggled for something, anything that was better than what was going on in her head. “Thinking about tomorrow. More meetings.”